M.E.A.T Magazine, 7/92
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METAL ON THE RISE
By Metal Tim Henderson
Danzig's underlying interest in, or fear of, the unknown--that dark
and silent entity--keeps frontman Glenn Danzig and his band--guitarist
John Christ, bassist Eerie Von, and Canadian-born drummer Chuck
Biscuits--remaining mysteriously attractive, and successful. The
shroud of mystery and presupposition that bestows this act left me
feeling like the proverbial lamb going to the slaughter while doing
this interview.
As Danzig approaches worldwide status, the anticipation surrounding
DANZIG III--HOW THE GODS KILL has been truly stunning. Yet this Def
American/Warner release was slated for early spring, but delayed, as
their US label is currently busy with the latest hit from the Black
Crowes. Will this affect the Danzig album?
"It's hard to tell exactly," states John Christ. "Timing is a tricky
thing because originally we wanted the record out in April, so we
could tour in the summer. Even though it got pushed back, it's not
necessarily a bad thing."
From the grinding Sabbath-esque intro of "Godless" to the psychedelic
grittyness of "Bodies", How The Gods Kill is an electrifying album
that will throw a dark shadow on your brightest day. Danzig have
managed to distance themselves away from the listener, as Glenn has,
in his eerie and diabolical writing style, left many holes for the
imagination to fill. A more intense and evil record than its two
predecessors, its hidden mysteries are unleashed around a spectacle
of raw guitars, drooling bass, and Glenn's deep-throated vocals. Christ
revels in it's gloominess.
"I think the dark feel is intentional.When we're writing songs we want
dark tones, dark chords and melodies. Our thing is to capture the
essence of what we are, and what we're all about. Each song is its
own entity, its own certain thing. Fortunately, Glenn produced the
record, so he gave us a lot of freedom, especially in the mixing and
stuff. There's a lot of playing around, trying stuff that we've never
done before to make it sound bigger, louder, and closer to what we
sound like live. We added a bit more keyboard this time for mood and
effect to enhance the harmony, but I think it falls well within the
boundaries."
Is the band happy with the final product? "I'm satisfied with it,"
states Chist, "but every time I listen to it I'm always being critical
of my performance. But this is much closer to what we wanted to do when
Danzig was formed five years ago. We're really happy with the power and
aggressiveness. It's like a heavy rock album.
"We wanted this to be an electric album," Christ continues. "The first
two albums did pretty well, but we wanted this to be the heavy Danzig
album that everybody was going to get to hear--we know that this is a
pivotal album for us. We wanted it to be different from everything that
was going on out there, but still retain the same mood that we've been
holding since the beginning."
And the same religious overtones, for which they're known. "There are
some religious references and stuff like that with the dark side of
man," says Chist. "We have a history with that type of thing, as Glenn
is fascinated with the Old Testament--angels, arc angels, and Satan.
But Glenn puts out titles and lyrics that are ambiguous so they're open
to interpretation. I find with Glenn that it's often helpful to know
the lyrics pretty well, then listen to the way that he sings them--
that's where he leaves clues for you. Then you're on your own."
As for the direct admission, Christ manages to deflect the bands
connection with the demonic. "The more specific the answer you want,
the more specific the question must be," Christ challenges me.
"Obviously we do get asked our beliefs. If you want to know if we're
really psychos or devil-worshippers and all that kind of stuff...well,
no. But I can tell you this--when you put the band together as a unit,
especially in a performance or public situation, sometimes things can
happen. I'm going to sort of leave it at that. If people have a
problem with it, that's not our problem.
"We have a lot of interests," continues Christ, "that I'm not about
to tell you that may freak people out. But we aren't about flaunt our
philosophies and beliefs. If you want to know what we're about then
analyze the lyrics and music 'cause it's all in there. I don't have
to explain myself to anybody."
At present, Danzig are slated for a few US dates with Black Sabbath
in July/August, with a headlining North American tour following.
Primarily a live concert act, Christ describes their show as "a barely
contained power--a tension ready to blow wide open at any second. You're
never quite sure when it's going to happen, but it always does.
Sometimes it explodes right from the very first note. It's very intense.
Glenn has a real charismatic and aggressive personality. The fans just
feed off that. The music just enhances the whole vibe."
As their radio/video potential becomes more imminent, (the first
release is the straight-ahead rocker "Dirty Black Summer") the ultimate
success of the band doesn't seem to phase them.
"Superstardom is not a major priority on our list," Christ says. "We,
historically, haven't gotten any easy breaks. So we're going to continue
to slug it out like we've been doing, and we appreciate our fans behind
us. So all the people who had problems with us in the past won't have
any choice but to conform to our fans desire. We're not going away."